JISC RSC YH Exchange News

Adult Learning and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills: What are we to make of it?

Tuesday 21 July 2009; 9.45am to 12.30pm

Renaissance House, 20 Princess Rd West, Leicester LE1 6TP

After just 20 months, the decision to give post-school education a voice in the Cabinet was reversed when the Government re-shuffle of 5 June 2009 wound-up the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS). Although the creation of  Business, Innovation and Skills was described as a merger of DIUS and the Department of Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform, the new ’super-ministry’ was seen  by most commentators as a take-over, strengthening the powers and responsibilities of the new First Minister, Lord Mandelson.

This event will take the form of a briefing about the new Department and a SWOT analysis of how anyone concerned with adult learning might best protect and promote learners’ interests over the coming months in a changing landscape.  Delegates will have the opportunity to discuss the points and issues raised.

www.niace.org.uk/campaigns-events/events/adult-learning-and-the-department-for-business-innovation-and-skills

Digital Britain: Implications for adult learners and providers

Friday 24 July 2009, 9.45am to 12.30pm

Renaissance House, 20 Princess Rd West, Leicester LE1 6TP

When Lord Carter’s Digital Britain report was published in June 2009 it drew together a number of important policy issues which will impact directly on all UK citizens. Whilst NIACE welcomes the potential benefits of Britain developing world class digital networks, there are real challenges if we are to ensure that all adults have the access to learning they need so that they can keep pace with change.

‘Digital Life Skills’ are central to the success of this plan and the report takes account of Baroness Estelle Morris’s independent review of adult ICT skills which recommends an ‘entitlement’ to nine hours of training.

One of the ‘digital dividends’ resulting from the roll-out of digital audio broadcasting will be the freeing up of FM capacity making way for ‘ultra-local’ radio stations. This will widen further our access as citizens to the airwaves. Added to this is the explosion of opportunities for people to publish for themselves online. In order to be active participants in community life, it is increasingly important for adults to be able to acquire not only the technical and language skills needed to create communications in a variety of contexts but also to recognise the rights and responsibilities associated with making adults’ digital voices heard.

This policy briefing will offer a chance to explore these questions and more.

• How can we engage with the 17 million people who are still excluded from digital technology?
• How will the nine hours of Digital Life Skill entitlement be funded and how can we be sure that the support will meet the needs of people who have been the last to join the digital world?
• Will the quite reasonable attempts to protect Intellectual Property have a perverse effect and restrict reasonable access to materials by learners?
• How will we make sure adults have the skills needed to flourish in a digital world?
• With a predicted flowering of ‘ultra local’ sound broadcasting from 2015 and online publishing are we about to witness a new need for learning programmes which reflect the rights and responsibilities of citizen publishers?
• How will teachers of adults maintain their knowledge and skills in the world of increasing technological diversity?
• Will provision of superfast broadband to urban areas actually lead us to a new urban / rural digital divide?

Audience

This event will be aimed at anyone with a professional or personal interest in the impact of digital technologies on the future of adult learning in Britain – including adult learning practitioners across all sectors, policymakers and opinion-formers, strategists and managers.

www.niace.org.uk/campaigns-events/events/digital-britain-implications-for-adult-learners-and-providers

Event fee per person per event: £85 (includes lunch, tea/coffee)

Enquiries to Gurjit Kaur in the Events Team – Tel: 0116 204 2833; E-mail: gurjit.kaur@niace.org.uk